What a way to open an event! Cisco’s 16^th Partner Summit began with partners filing into a packed auditorium to the Olympics theme song holding flags from their home countries—with more than 90 countries represented here this week. This year’s theme, “In It to Win It,” was especially apt given the news announced at today’s event.

Senior VP of the Worldwide Partner Organization Keith Goodwin welcomed live and virtual attendees, and then took everyone on a trip down memory lane, sharing recollections of the first time he presented at Cisco Partner Summit on the very same stage six years prior.

In addition to Keith, CEO John Chambers, EVP/COO Gary Moore, SVP Wendy Bahr, VP Andrew Sage, SVP Edison Peres, and SVP Nick Earle all addressed the audience, talking about Cisco’s accomplishments over the past year, and goals and priorities for the year ahead.

There was also plenty of news to share, with announcements about the Cisco Services Partner Program (our biggest Services announcement in 15 years, according to CRN, Enabling Architectures Sales Excellence, the Master Cloud Builder Specialization, the Partner Plus Incentive program, and much more. In addition, Edison shared his vision around the value that partners derive from their relationship with Cisco.

After today’s keynote, we caught up with a few partners to get their thoughts on the value they see in being a Cisco partner.

Our Partner Ambassador Bloggers have also been busy sharing their thoughts about this year’s Partner Summit. Be sure to check out their blogs:

• Compugen: What a difference a year makes (part one)
  What a difference a year makes (part two) (Day one news)
• Varrow: Cisco Partner Summit 2012 – Day 0

Today there were a number of big announcements, as well as key information shared around Return on Cisco and the value of partnership. Keep reading to find out what was announced today. Read More »

Tags: andrew sage, ciscochannels, ciscops12, Compugen, edison peres, gary moore, john chambers, keith goodwin, nick earle, partner summit, Varrow, vps

Finally! Partner Summit is just around the corner. The Cisco team is excited to see you in person, beginning on April 16 in sunny San Diego, California.

If you’re not going to be in San Diego, you can still attend virtually. Just tune in via Virtual Partner Summit (VPS), beginning on April 17. All you need to do is register.

So what are the big topics at Partner Summit? Cloud and Collaboration are definitely top of mind. There’ll also be some fantastic breakout sessions. Some of them include “The Virtualized Workspace—New Solutions and Programs” and “Get in the Driver’s Seat with Smart Services.” The smart services session is just one of Partner Summit’s business transformation sessions. Others feature Cisco’s evolving Partner Program portfolio and how to accelerate mid-market success.

You’ll hear keynotes and have the opportunity to participate in live chat with top executives and regional leaders such as John Chambers, Padmasree Warrior, Edison Peres, and Jim Sherriff,  to name a few. You can also join your regional theater breakouts covering topics for all the geographies.

Watch the video from our Roving Reporter to get all the details you need.

Keep reading to find out more about our Partner Summit Ambassadors, our new Roving Reporter, how to win an iPad or snag a t-shirt, the must-have checklist to help you navigate the event, and more. Read More »

Tags: bci, cisco channels, Compugen, edison peres, force3, jim sherriff, john chambers, logicalis, padmasree warrior, partner summit, partner summit ambassadors, presidio networks, roving reporter, San Diego, Varrow, virtual partner summit, vps